The Strongest Daughter-In-Law Of The Black Lion Family [EN]: Chapter 133

#133.

After that, Ella hesitated, scratching her arm absently. When I tilted my head, she reluctantly said,

“Actually, I said I would tell you why I hate him if you told me the reason. But I didn’t want to reveal it directly, so I tried to find another way.”

Hearthcliff must have been frustrating to her as well. After all, whenever Ella saw him, she would either run away or glare at him.

I was also curious about why Ella hated Heathcliff. I pretended to rummage through the Bible and asked casually.

“So, what did you end up saying?”

Ella, lost in thought by my question, looked out the window. She opened her mouth with a distant look in her eyes, as if he were right there.

“I told him I hate him because he killed me.”

“……What?”

“Before time was turned back, Heathcliff sold me to Hebel.”

* * *

Ella looked at Chelsia, who had turned to stone, with a bitter expression.

Chelsia usually thought well of Heathcliff, so this revelation was a somewhat shocking fact for her.

Ella knew this would happen, so she had been sparing her words.

That incident was her past, but it didn’t happen in this world—at least, not anymore.

Besides, in the original 『Ella’s Kingdom』 that Chelsia read, Heathcliff appeared quite handsome as the male lead.

Of course, she knew that the ending wasn’t good, thanks to the current Ella herself, but she didn’t know the specific details.

It was a past she wanted to keep to herself if possible. But she didn’t need to anymore.

Hearthcliff’s memories were returning.

Ella, who had been observing Heathcliff for several days, learned one thing.

He was having terrible dreams about her, frequently.

‘El, don’t go.’

Fortunately or unfortunately, he didn’t remember anything when he woke up from his dream. He just kept calling her name, remembering only the name ‘El.’

That’s how she found out why he kept rescuing abandoned animals and naming them ‘El.’

She felt strange when she saw him crying in his sleep, calling her name.

She hated him for pretending to be affectionate now when he had sold her off, but even so, his will to remember her seemed significant.

Even if she put together all the moments she had faced him since returning, it wouldn’t even amount to a full day.

But the fact that he was regaining his memory meant that she was quite important to Heathcliff, didn’t it?

Ella frowned at the thought. Her habit of interpreting him favorably was still present.

Maybe he was trying to remember her because of guilt.

They were once passionately in love, and they thought they loved each other enough to risk their lives.

But that love turned into a sharp knife and killed her. Slowly, without her even knowing.

Ella scoffed. Now, it was all useless.

At that moment, Chelsia grabbed her, who had turned pale, and asked.

“What do you mean, Heathcliff sold you off?”

“Actually, when some of my memories returned right after becoming an adult, there was something I couldn’t bring myself to say. At that time, my memories with Heathcliff came back together. When the continent was in chaos, the reason I entered Hebel was because of Heathcliff.”

“But at the time, Hebel was the safest……”

Chelsia hesitated, as if she couldn’t believe it. Ella, who was staring at her, said calmly.

“That’s right. I thought so too before I regained my memory.”

She paused for a moment and trembled as she recalled that time. The younger self in her memory was too naive.

She believed Heathcliff’s words that he would return if she waited, and she jumped into the jaws of death.

Ella concentrated by pressing her cold fingertips with her nails. Otherwise, she felt like she would faint at any moment.

“I went to Hebel first with the people of Page Territory at Heathcliff’s request. I just believed that everything had been discussed with Hebel. And immediately after entering Hebel, I was imprisoned in an underground prison.”

“That’s…….”

“At first, I thought Hebel had tricked Heathcliff. But it wasn’t. Heathcliff sold me off on the condition of saving the territory people.”

The pheromone signature in the document shown by Hebel’s priest was clearly Heathcliff’s. [Beastmen often use pheromone signatures as a form of identification and agreement.]

There was no one in Hebel who could force such a strong beastman to sign a pheromone signature. In the end, it meant that he signed it of his own free will.

“Heathcliff sent me to Hebel knowing that I would be sacrificed. To save the territory people.”

“……Ella.”

“From the moment that memory came back, it was painful to see Heathcliff. I wanted to run and argue, but that incident was only known to me. Anyway, the current Heathcliff doesn’t know about it. I tried to digest it alone.”

At the end of that sentence, Ella began to tremble. Chelsia was restless and simply held her.

“I was managing my feelings so well……”

Ella, who had finally lost strength in her legs, collapsed. The moment she found out that Heathcliff was remembering her in his dreams, she couldn’t control her emotions.

So, Ella grabbed the Bible and ran away, spewing out the past that he didn’t even know about after waking up from his dream.

Hearthcliff didn’t chase after her. Even if he had chased after her, Ella wouldn’t have been caught.

He had never caught Ella in the past. He always followed after letting go of her hand.

“Ella, calm down first……”

It was when Chelsia bent over to calm Ella down that Ella desperately clung to her neck and shouted.

“But he remembers me in his dreams……!”

“What?”

“But when he wakes up, he doesn’t remember me again. I was so angry that I said all that and ran away. How can I face Heath now?”

Ella began to cry, spewing out the emotions that had welled up. She hadn’t shed a single tear since becoming an adult, not because she had matured, but because she had been forcibly holding back.

How did such strength come from her fragile body?

Chelsia was pushed down as Ella clung to her and cried. She just patted her back, unable to add any words.

Hearthcliff remembers Ella in his dreams.

Then it was only a matter of time before he remembered what had happened in the past. It was impossible to know how this would affect the current situation.

‘What the hell is going on?’

Was the time that the Time Topaz [A magical artifact used for time travel or manipulation.] turned back not perfect?

If it was the aftermath of turning back time in an uncontracted state, it was too harsh for Ella and Heathcliff.

Hearthcliff had to suffer for something he didn’t do, and Ella had to suffer for something that had already happened.

Assuming the worst, it was a situation where others might regain their memories at any time.

“Hwaaa!”

Ella cried out loud. Chelsia stayed by her side and patted her back, but she couldn’t add any words.

* * *

“Young master, did that rabbit finally leave?”

At Rudy’s question, Heathcliff, who was staring blankly out the window, glanced at the empty basket.

She was always sticking by his side and annoying when she didn’t leave, but now that she was gone, he felt empty.

‘You asked why I hate you so much, right? Are you confident that you won’t regret listening?’

‘I don’t have any memories of doing anything wrong to you enough to regret.’

‘Ha……. That’s right. The current you hasn’t done anything to me. But that doesn’t mean that what I experienced because of you is nothing.’

‘…….’

‘The ‘El’ that appears in your dreams is me. You must have killed me in that dream. While not even remembering when you wake up.’

Besides, among the words that Ella spat out like a bomb before leaving, there was nothing he could understand right away.

Not only did she know that he was dreaming of a woman named ‘El,’ but she claimed that ‘El’ was her.

‘Does that mean we share my dreams? As she said, am I always killing her in my dreams without even knowing it?’

Ella, who had just spat out bomb-like words, ran away, stealing the Bible as if to show off. Heathcliff, who didn’t even get a proper explanation, was just confused.